as in distinguishing
to understand or point out the difference in
it was hard at first to differentiate between the two styles of music
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Recent Examples of differentiating
While the uses and gratifications model is basically an individual (or user)-centered model, MSD theory, first developed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur in 1976, goes further in differentiating the microlevels of interaction in relation to audiences and social groups.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
The biggest differentiating factor was the use of an agent harness, a piece of code that wraps around an LLM to guide it through a series of specific tasks.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
On a related note, leaders need to be better at differentiating between truly high-quality thinking, and something copied directly from AI that will make people roll their eyes.
—David Rock, Fortune, 6 May 2026
The effort went a long way to differentiating the retailer from Walmart and the now-defunct Sears and Kmart as well as department stores, dollar stores and offpricers.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Even other celebrities have trouble differentiating the pair.
—Laura Lane, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The Mexican eatery splits its menu into three, differentiating between meat dishes, vegetarian items and vegan dishes to avoid any potential confusion.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles County leaders, meanwhile, have grappled with differentiating the two and regulating the products that come in the form of powder, capsules and drinks and have been linked to six county deaths.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Anonymity will continue to be Reddit’s differentiating factor.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
The biggest differentiating factor was the use of an agent harness, a piece of code that wraps around an LLM to guide it through a series of specific tasks.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
On a related note, leaders need to be better at differentiating between truly high-quality thinking, and something copied directly from AI that will make people roll their eyes.
—David Rock, Fortune, 6 May 2026
The effort went a long way to differentiating the retailer from Walmart and the now-defunct Sears and Kmart as well as department stores, dollar stores and offpricers.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Even other celebrities have trouble differentiating the pair.
—Laura Lane, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The Mexican eatery splits its menu into three, differentiating between meat dishes, vegetarian items and vegan dishes to avoid any potential confusion.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles County leaders, meanwhile, have grappled with differentiating the two and regulating the products that come in the form of powder, capsules and drinks and have been linked to six county deaths.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Anonymity will continue to be Reddit’s differentiating factor.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for differentiating
Verb
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The challenge is distinguishing imbalances rooted in fundamentals from those created by policy distortions.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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Barrière’s distinguishing factor is its marketing, according to Davis-Urman, who has a background in fashion.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Race in admissions UCLA’s medical school unlawfully used race in admissions decisions over the last three years, specifically discriminating against white and Asian American applicants, according to Department of Justice findings.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Known as Senate Bill 5, the wide-ranging, 71-page bill would create oversight committees, adopt workforce development programs and attempt to prevent AI from discriminating in hiring and sorting through resumes in the employment process.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Differentiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/differentiating. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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